Here is an exclusive Jenson Button British Grand Prix preview for JA on F1 readers.

It’s video we shot at the Westfield Shoping Centre in London last Thursday evening, a few hours after the Fans’ Forum ended – busy day! The reigning world champion, previews the race at Silverstone for us.

He talks about what he found when he drove the new Silverstone layout on the McLaren simulator, describes the “buzz” of arriving at Silverstone both as world champion and in the thick of the fight for this year’s title and talks about the confidence he feels since winning the world title. There is a nice bit where he talks about how that confidence has helped him to make some of the tactical calls in races like Australia this year.

But he also speaks about his team mate Lewis Hamilton and how, once they’ve worked together through the weekend to set the car up for Silverstone, the gloves will come off on race day….

Jenson is taking part in the London Triathlon on August 8th. He’s raising money for the Make a Wish Foundation, helping improve the lives of disadvantaged kids. To sponsor Jenson go to jb2010

72 comments

I was one of the lucky few to have met Jenson personally on Friday night at the Mclaren Tech centre as part of a Vodafone prize, and what a thoroughly nice chap he is! He signed a shirt for me and we had a short but nice conversation. He did however manage to make me feel thoroughly guilty that I'm not going to be at the British GP this year! 😀

We have had five races since the Spanish GP and its 5-0 to Hamilton in qualifying and Jenson has only been ahead for those few yards in Turkey. If he can't turn that around in the next couple of races his championship challenge could be all but over.

You don't get points for qualifying! Jenson is not as quick as Lewis, but Jenson knows, more than anyone else, that a race in 2010 is not won on a heavy footed style. He is smart and has the foresight to plan the race and do his magic with the brakes/tyres. Its great that Mclaren have such a variation in drivers. It's literally Lewis as a Senna, balls out of the bath racer, and Jenson as a Prost, with a thoughtful considered and somewhat conservative style that is measured and planned with great detail.

I think in your post you hit every talking point most pundits and talking head trotted out at the start of the season in their pre season articles. They were to a certain extent my thoughts as well. But here’s the thing; when presented with new evidence, i.e. nine races so far I changed my opinion. There is just no evidence that Lewis is chewing up his tyres (see Canada) no evidence that as a ‘balls out’ racer he is going off the track and losing points.

He has grown up. He has matured as a driver. He has moved on from the driver who threw away a Championship as a rookie driver in the last couple of races of 2007.

HR is bang on the money! Hamilton's performance in Canada is evidence that he is maturing as an all round driver - He's obviously been studying Button's ability to conserve tyres during a race. If he can master that art then it will make him a very dangerous adversary - One that I don't think Button will be able to beat and that Alonso is right to be scared of!

100%. Lewis has added further dimensions to his racing. If he learns more about the engineering/car development side, he'll be as complete as anyone.

I've huge respect for Jenson taking on Hamilton but the fact is the races aren't being won now by Jenson's style - it's all about Lewis heaping pressure on Red Bull and testing the reliability of their cars and drivers. Not to say Jenson might not stick in there and sneak the WDC in the end...

I'm getting a little tired of this 'received wisdom' parading as facts myself.

Lewis has by now won umpteen races where he has had to conserve tires. And yet, still gets hit for an image established by the pundits on the basis of a few races in his first rookie year.

As, if he hasn't learned anything since. As if he were wrecking tires on a daily basis.

And what constitutes as evidence this season? A couple of races at the beginning of the season, where he qualified poorly and therefore had to drive very aggressively in order to make places up. In other words he wasn't in a position to conserve tires - he had to attack.

This then gets contrasted with Jenson leading from the front. Oh, what a surprise he was able to conserve his tires - he didn't have to attack.

like lauda and prost in 1984, he can't march hamilton on speed, and he has a handicap that lauda didn't have. The cars nowadays are very reliable, so don't expect on any victory handed due to a mechanical failure. I don't see how he is going to win. But he still has to try.

I'd love to see Lewis and Jenson go head to head for the British GP, but I think Red Bull will be untouchable at Silverstone this year. I guess it all comes down to the success of this Mclaren upgrade!

These new comments from Jenson and some previous comments from himself do imply that he thinks Hamilton is the better driver of the two. He seems a bit desperate to prove that he is better then Lewis, I don't see Lewis making similar comments about Button. I get the feeling that Lewis is totally confident in his own abilities, because he doesn't feel the need to make specific comments about beating Button, but Button feels the need to make specific comments about beating Lewis.

Button had a great start to the season, but in my opinion it is clear that as each race goes by, Lewis is showing that he is the faster driver. As noted, Lewis has beaten Button in every qualifying session since Barcelona and has out-raced him at every race since Monaco too. Bullish statements won't hide the fact that Hamilton is a faster driver then Button. Things may change, but I would be surprised if Button started beating Hamilton on raw pace.

OK , I think that is almost universally agreed that on 'Raw pace' Button is behind Hamilton, but then again he is still much closer to the benchmark than Kovy ever was. However Button still has his strong points (maybe better, more mature race-craft_. The championship points table does not lie, and he is a very close second to his illustrious team-mate.

I have had enough of Button's self-promotion. All educated people know who will qualify ahead and finish ahead of the McLaren drivers, and it ain't gonna be Jenson. I wish he would keep his mouth shut, it just makes him look foolish. I have said it time and again, but Lewis overtaking Jenson at Istanbul has broken Button's belief. The main man at McLaren is Hamilton, and Silverstone will once again prove that.

Sorry, but you really don't think that if it was the last race of the season, winner takes the WDC that Jenson wouldn't have had another bite at the cherry in terms of getting by? He had a poor / compromised exit on the final turn, which gave Lewis a good run going down to Turn 1, they touched (slightly) as we know then the team said [paraphrasing here of course] "all right guys, you have had your little squabble, enough's enough". At a more crucial juncture of the season (e.g. title decider) McLaren would not have called off the drivers from racing one another, and they probably would have raced hard to the flag (dicing with the possibility of running out of fuel to boot).

I suppose that was a long winded way of saying Istanbul proved nothing, since Jenson did not get the chance to attack Lewis for a second time due to team orders...

I don't think Jenson is self promoting necessarily, after all he is responding to questions put to him. In addition we must remember that Jenson was told by most of the world that he was going to be trounced by Lewis this year and so I think that there is always an element of measured defence or justification in his answers.

I know that Jenson's detractors will say his two wins this year were lucky and that Lewis is faster in raw pace. But I would submit that with Lewis there is always an element of danger that something could go wrong and that Jenson perhaps plays the percentages better. A good team combination I reckon that deserves credit for both drivers.

If you look at the lap times of Button and Hamilton during the races this season they have been basically identical and the only reason why Hamilton has finished ahead of Button in the last few races is because he has qualified better, but in the race their pace is the same. So if Button does a better job in qualifying he can definitely beat Hamilton.

I never said anything about Button finishing only a few seconds behing Hamilton, I said that during a race their individual lap times are practically the same so if Button can get his qualifying sorted out then he can beat Hamilton.

This season is about car and tyre management, no one is going to finish more than a few seconds ahead anymore. Why do people keep saying the fact Jenson finishes only a few seconds behind mean he could beat Lewis?Lewis beats Jenson at will each quali and race baring bad luck, there's the clue. It's obvious that apart from Petrov and Kubica no other team mate battle is becoming increasingly ominously dominant.

Concidering everyone wrote off Buttons this year when he confirmed his move to McLaren and that he would be out classed by Hamilton I would argue that Button is driving far better this year than last year....! He seems to be driving without any pressure and enjoying himself at the same time.

No fair play to him - he's certainly gone up in my estimations - I too wrote him off early on....

You're right, no one seems to be questioning the Red Bull drivers 'worthiness' this year in spite of them having a trick diffuser. In fact, doesn't their failure to capitalise on having a technical advantage on a dominant car for the first half of the season put Buttons title last year in a different light? Having a winning car is no use unless you go out and win with it, is it? Button did himself a disservice but having such a good start to the season, rather than the usual settling in period we have come to expect from even the best drivers,

'The weather has the least to do with driver skill'? I think you'll find it's quite different to that - driving in the rain (yes, it can throw up some odd results) but it still requires great skill.

I don't think you can say he is a 'fake WDC' either. Fair enough, Brawn had a huge advantage at the start of the year but fair play to them. It was clever design, just like the 'F Duct' this year from McLaren.

The only way Jenson will challenge at Silverstone is through a favourable strategy from McLaren. What is now clear, and was clear before, is that Jenson can only fisnish ahead of Lewis if he outqualifies him, or through favourable strategy. This year, Jenson has been brought to the pits ahead of Lewis 6 times in the last 7 races - irrespective of whether he is in front or behind.

Lewis has been brought into the pits before Jenson ONLY once this season - even when he is leading. This season, more than any, pitting first either allows a driver to jump ahead, or consolidate his position; a huge deal if your teammate is breathing down your neck - Just ask the Red Bull drivers.

Expect to see fireworks if Lewis feels Jenson's strategy disadvantages him. I suspect Martin Whitmarsh would be pushing for a Jenson win, as Lewis has already won his home GP before.

I expect Whitmarsh to cock it up again, and i expect to see blatant strategy favouritism for Jenson in Silverstone.

It's odd, but i've thought this myself but then dismissed the idea. Everyone has been talking about McLaren being Lewis' team but i've noticed that pit strategy has been more in Jenson's favour. I've also noticed that Lewis hasn't spoken out about this, indeed doesn't seem to mind one jot. Maybe the fact that he's still beating Jenson despite what appears to be on the surface a more Jenson friendly pit strategy.

Also, Jenson has had more luck in the races. his split second decisions that won him his two races were amazing, but could so easily have gone the other way...and in Valencia he was approaching the pit entrance when the SC light came on his dash!

Granted Monaco and Barcelona have evened out the reliability issues with both of them...but I don't think Lewis has been very lucky in the race. He's really had to work hard for his results. Arguably more so than Jenson...

But, like a lot of people on here. I think Jenson has been impressive. and as a McLaren fan i'm delighted he's bringing home big points and not making many mistakes.

I happen to agree with you - I think Lewis is fighting against 23 other drivers plus his own team. We'll see what happens in the race but if he gets another odd strategy or second best strategy, I will be really angry.

Still got a lot of time for Jenson. All things considered - if I could swap job lot with anyone on the grid it would be him. He's aware i'm sure that he's a few percent shy of Lewis on pure pace. But the gap isn't quite as wide as many on here predicted it would be. And a few surprises or errant conditions here and there could easily negate his speed disadvantage - minimal as it is.

I hate to get dragged into the hamiliton button debate as people are so polarised on the issue its untrue but please just give them both a break!! Jenson talks about lewis as he knows the questions are coming a lot of these interviews are not just him talking but questions put to him so he answers. I doubt very much anyone can read from his body language that he feels lewis is better than him sorry unless you've known him for years thats rediculous. He comes across to me as someone who is supremely confident and relaxed as is lewis. Hes managed to stay in the hunt for the championship which is more than most gave him at the start of the season and hes won 2 races!!! I hope both of them smash the rest this weekend come on the Brits!!!

Jenson's a great driver and has got better this year but I'm sorry to say he isn't a Hamilton and never will be.

Very few drivers stand out like Hamilton has since he came into F1, Senna and Hamilton mentioned in the same sentence just fits whereas Button and Senna just doesn't.

I do think that both Jenson and Hamilton have become both better drivers and better people now they are driving together and for me, 2009 Hamilton just raised his game and it's clearly showing this year, he has a steel (Senna again) have and it's a belief that he knows he can deliver, Jenson just doesn't have this however nice a bloke he is.

I have to disagree with you there. Senna was a genius, but we're judging him on his entire career. Hamilton is still building his legacy.

Senna had 10 years to build his legacy and did so with many moments of controvesy and genius..Hamilton is heading in the same direciton in my opinion, he's already done some amazing things in the sport and started to build his own legacy, races like Silverstone 2008 and Fuji 2007, these were amazing drives and as he matures and puts in some similar performances his legacy will grow..

This is why he is compared to the late great Senna...and I for one think the comparison is just...but Hamilton must maintain this level of driving for many years for the comparison to stick.

While there is some valid comparisons between them regarding driving style they are completely different personalities, Senna was extremely charismatic, engaging, determined and very intelligent, while Hamilton always seems a bit boring and PR controlled to me (out of the car). I think that Senna was more of a mix of Hamilton's driving style and Alonso's personality.

Completely agree DC. I think it is premature to compare Hamilton with the 'greats' but I also think that Hamilton has got the raw talent to eventually be there - he just needs the other pieces (quick car, reliability, support of team, mind mgmt) to fall in place.

Most drivers talk about Senna with the utmost respect, and it's nice to hear Hamilton and Button doing the same here (even though it's a viral ad and staged!)

I think whilst its true that Button has had similar race pace to Lewis, in modern F1 it is a bit academic because of the premium placed on qualifying. Saying Button struggles in qualifying but is strong in the race is almost a non-point, because of the importance of qualifying today. Therefore, raw speed is critical, its no good some people saying that Button doesn't have the raw speed of Hamilton but can independently call strategy and is fast in the race, for the majority of the time raw speed will win with the sort of races we see now.

Another thing with Button, and I noticed this last year when he started to struggle at Brawn, he loses a fair amount of positions at the start. He lost a number of places in Valencia and three places at Monaco, which went unnoticed by many people because he retired shortly afterwards. Button was extremely impressive in OZ and China, but those races are in the past, Lewis appears to be getting stronger and stronger, and qualifying is his achilles heel - and that is a major hindrance.

In this Jenson v lewis debate I think over time and I mean the next 3 years or so we will see hamilton move very far away from jenson. I'm not jensons biggest backer but give him a car he likes and he is a class act. But compare him to the kimi in 05 mclaren alonso in his 06 Renault lewis in his 2007 mclaren schumi in 04 and kubica this yyear he doesn't come close. Also he isn't very adapable or versatile and struggles massively when he doesn't get what he needs from the car.

The Lewis vs Jenson debate is so old now it's not funny... Why can't anyone just accept that they are very close on pace - Lewis just does the better job in quali... That's all... seriously.

I think that the smart money for Silverstone will be on Red Bull, We haven't seen them on a track that suits their car for a good few weeks now and people quickly forget results from that long ago... If McLaren's blown diffuser works as it should then they should be up there - If they're as quick as RB then it's gonna be a McLaren 1-2 but being on the same pace as the Red Bulls will be a tall order.

I photographed Hamilton at Goodwood yesterday and had a quick chat with him about Sunday. When his PR was out of earshot I asked him how the upgrade is looking and he replied "we're gonna be fast, faster than the Red Bulls, it's looking good" time will tell if this is just bravado or not...

You are so right my friend. And thank you for such an analysis of a team you don't support...

The Ferrari - McLaren rivalry is a wonderful thing in my eyes... all good dramas need good guys and bad guys and i'm sure you and I would disagree on which is which! but I have to resepct who Ferrari are and what they have done for the sport...and it is good to hear a Ferrari fan speak highly of McLaren and it's drivers...that doesn't happen often!

Friendly rivalry is a wonderful thing and enhances the sport for me a great deal...

Forza to you my friend! (I have no idea what that means, but I see it used a lot! I think it's a compliment...)

I hope your Fiats finish well at Silverstone...3rd and 4th would be quite respectable...don't you think??? ;o)

Yes I would second that. The pairing I think is the best in the paddock and I’m delighted that they are both British and in a British team. They compliment each other well in terms of strengths and weaknesses and that between them they are definitely the ones to beat.

I can’t imagine that there are many Italians supporting British teams or for that matter any other non-British national supporting a British team over one from their own country. Sadly the same is not true for us Brits; we appear to delight in knocking our own for whatever reason and significant numbers supporting rival teams and drivers.